DRIVEN: 2016 Proton Saga – is the comeback real?

Here we are again with the 2016 Proton Saga, a model that Proton’s deputy CEO Datuk Radzaif Mohamed describes as the national carmaker’s “most important model” yet. There’s a lot of history with the nameplate, with “value” being the main unique selling point during its over three decade of existence.

With many new carbuyers entering the market, their first choice should be something that can deliver on multiple fronts, while not having to pay a pretty penny. Proton is hoping the Saga meets all these requirements, and with prices starting at RM36,800 (up to RM45,800), it already hits the “affordable” point.

Our first impressions of the new Saga has been a rather positive one, but a drive around a test track doesn’t tell the whole story. Which is why we’ve been invited to sample the most affordable Proton on a drive up north towards Ipoh, to see what things are like in the real world. Will it continue to impress? Read on to find out.

As a bit of a recap, the Saga is offered in four variants – Standard (MT), Standard (AT), Executive (AT) and Premium (AT). All of them receive the same 1.3L VVT engine as the Iriz, which replaces the old IAFM+ unit, mated to either a CVT automatic or five-speed manual.

For this trip, we were handed the keys to the 1.3L Premium, which comes with all the bells and whistles, along with the largest price tag. For the money, items like a double-DIN head unit, reverse camera, 15-inch wheels, and most importantly, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) are all here. For a more detailed look at what else is available, check here.

We’ll start with the first thing that gets judged the most when it comes to any car – the looks. Proton says it went with a “modern and dynamic” approach for the new Saga, keeping what’s familiar while injecting several new elements.

Therefore, owners of the outgoing model will immediately identify the front-end, which gets reshaped headlamps, an additional slat for the grille (inspired by the 1985 original), a contoured hood and reworked lower apron (reminiscent of the new Persona).

At the back however, things are significantly different, beginning with the slim, two-piece taillights. They are joined by a central chrome element (black-painted on the Standard) that runs across nearly the entire length of the new bootlid.

Viewed from the side, the car’s profile is less boxy than before, with a restyled C-pillar that slopes more gradually this time round. As a result, the rear doors have been reshaped to match, fitting a wider aperture than before. From this angle, the car certainly has a more proportionate look to it, especially when compared to its competitor – the Perodua Bezza – and its larger sibling – the Persona.

All in all, the Saga is quite pleasant to look at but there’s no doubt the main attraction is that rear-end, which certainly does draw curious eyeballs. Which is why it isn’t surprising that the promotional items (ads, flyers) of the car include generous use of the Saga’s new butt.

The new look also sees changes to vehicle dimensions, including a 74 mm increase in length (4,331 mm), 11 mm decrease in height (1,491 mm), and 9 mm addition to the vehicle’s width (1,689 mm), but there’s no change to the 2,465 mm wheelbase.

The latter is due to the fact that the new Saga retains the second-generation model’s platform, albeit with several improvements. The chassis now gets strengthening in several areas (torsional rigidity is now 12,000 Nm/deg from 10,000 Nm/deg), while the suspension has been touched on to provide better dynamics – new dampers, springs and an engine bay strut bar are just some of the enhancements here.

These changes can certainly be felt while on the road, with the new Saga being a giant leap forward for the model in terms of ride and handling. Our drive saw us spend a majority of our time on highways, with short bouts on unpaved roads (leading up to Adeline’s Villa in Gopeng), as well as around Ipoh town (in search of the famous nasi ganja), allowing us to experience the Saga away from Proton’s test track.

At highway speeds and beyond, the Saga remained remarkably stable, without resulting in any feeling of nervousness while behind the wheel. The revised suspension setup plays a big part here, being firmer than on the previous car, so the “bouncy” feel of old is now gone.

In its place is a firmer ride, which can be felt while going over common road deformities encountered for those that frequent the notorious PJ roads. However, it isn’t unforgiving nor back-breaking, with the car doing well to dampen things so it remains civil inside.

The firmer ride also helps in the handling department, with the Saga tracking well through the corners, aided further by the communicative and quicker steering. The car remains well planted at the back, with the front-end being the first to fall out of line as you approach its limits – not something entirely necessary for day-to-day drivers but could be relevant for future participants in the Saga Cup category of the Malaysia Speed Festival (MSF) Racing Series.

Much like other Proton models, the brakes have a fair bit of travel in time before anything happens but it isn’t as severe a case as that on the Persona, according to my co-driver – paultan.org/bm colleague Hazril Hafiz. As for NVH, the Saga is quiet when just coasting along but at higher speeds, it is very susceptible to wind noise from the side mirrors, accompanied by tyre roar.

Under the hood, the 1.3L VVT outputs 94 hp at 5,750 rpm and 120 Nm at 4,000 rpm – directed to the front wheels via a CVT automatic in this case. The Punch CVT here (dubbed CVT2+) is a big improvement over the one found in the Iriz, and does a good job of laying the power down within reasonable expectations.

A retuned ECU compliments the improved CVT, and it certainly helps when attempting an overtaking manoeuvre. Even so, one shouldn’t stomp on the accelerator pedal and expect instant results, with a progressive right foot being a better alternative instead. If you prefer the former approach, you’ll be met with a build-up of revs and an unnecessarily strained engine.

Proton claims the Saga, at a constant 90 km/h, will do 17.9 km/l (vs 15.9 km/l before) on the CVT, and 18.5 km/l (vs 16.7 km/l before) on the manual, but due to the nature of the media test drive, we couldn’t test it out for real. Still, the 1.3L Dual VVT-i engine powering the EEV-certified Bezza is claimed to provide a fuel consumption (mixed ECE mode) of 21 km/l (auto) and 21.7 km/l (manual), making it more economical by comparison.

Moving on, life inside the Saga is a pretty pleasant affair with decent interior plastics (keywords here are cost effective) for the new layout. For starters, there’s plenty of nifty equipment that most tech savvy individuals will welcome, like the twin USB charging ports (1.5 A and 2.0 A), and double-DIN head unit, with the latter having not only Bluetooth, AUX, and USB media playback, but also a pretty impressive audio playback quality.

The head unit can be controlled via the steering-mounted controls (Premium only) either willingly or otherwise – the latter due to the positioning of the buttons. Speaking of awkward, finding a comfortable seating position can take a while for some, as my taller co-driver (183 cm-tall) found out. However, it was pretty apt for a person my size (170 cm-tall), with a relatively long seat base and good support.

Even so, the steering wheel at its highest tilt setting (no telescopic) still ended up pointing at my chest, and blocked my view of the digits on the instrument panel. This could be fixed if the seat was able to be lowered further but even at its lowest setting, it didn’t solve the matter. Furthermore, the height adjustment is merely adjusting the angle of the seat base, rather than raising the whole seat. We would like to see more adjustment options for the seat, but that would require redesigning the position of the pedals, so that’s that.

Rear passengers meanwhile will have slightly more legroom thanks to the scalloped rear section of the front seats, but will have to make do with a shorter seat base, non-adjustable headrests, and a backrest that isn’t the most supportive. By comparison, the Bezza has significantly more legroom, but less headroom than the Saga.

Other complaints include the instrument panel, which may have better readability, but is pretty deprived of information. It doesn’t tell you if you’ve turned any of the fog lamps on, so the only way to tell is to see if the button is lit on the centre stack. Furthermore, there is an ECO Drive Assist indicator but no way of telling what’s your current or average fuel economy.

Improvements to safety can also be found, with a four-star ASEAN NCAP safety rating across the board compared to three before, with highlights being a higher adult occupant protection score of 13.33 points (from 10.23 points) and 71% compliance in child occupant protection (from 48%) thanks to Isofix mounts. Unfortunately, the Saga Standard doesn’t come with ABS, and the Saga Premium does pale in comparison to the Bezza 1.3L Advance’s five-star rating, even with ESC.

On the practicality front, there’s plenty of stowage space to store all your usual items (wallet, handphone), and the boot can now accommodate 420 litres, which is quite a lot as you can tell from the photo in the gallery, but still shy of the Bezza’s 508 litres. You could get more space by folding the rear bench, but you’ll only have a limited aperture due to the rigidity requirements of the car’s chassis.

In summary, the Saga is a welcome return to form for Proton, and certainly a strong letter of intent in the carmaker’s goal in recapturing the faith of consumers, as well as their position on the sales charts. With all models getting a 1.3L engine and the top-spec Premium coming in below RM46k, the Saga is a tempting alternative to the Bezza, which tops out at RM50,800 for the 1.3L Advance but is better equipped with a touchscreen head unit, keyless entry, and leather seats.

Sure there are a few niggles here and there, but they aren’t detrimental to the entire overall experience of an affordable car that gets you from place to place. With an impressive drive, useful equipment, and good practicality, all priced within reach of the masses, the Saga personifies the much-used term – “value for money,” and yes, the comeback is real.

Originating from the corporate world with a background in finance and economics, Gerard’s strong love for cars led him to take the plunge into the automotive media industry. It was only then did he realise that there are more things to a car than just horsepower count.

Good that Proton has a good product but we must ask where is Najib’s promise to reduce car prices? We Malaysians have been waiting now nearly 4 years since Najib made this promise. Malaysia has now been awarded the highest car prices in the world. Infact, our car prices are now higher than Singapore’s car prices including their COE (taking into consideration both countries GDP per capita)

Our Government does not understand, Rm40k might be small money to the Ministers and cronies but to us Malaysians, it is very big money. 30% discount on RM40k is a whopping RM12k less.

To the majority of Malaysians, RM12k is a lot of money. It means food on the table for 2 whole years for some families.

Unfortunately, to the Ministers and many corrupt Government officials, RM12k is no big deal. So, they cannot understand how much a 30% savings would be for most people in Malaysia.

I appeal to Proton to start the ball rolling. Being National Car maker, Proton should tell the Government to honour their promise to reduce car prices by 30% to help ease the burden of the rakyat. Majority of the rakyat are suffering already with high cost of living in Malaysia.

I sounded funny but I have to agree with you. I have tried the Bezza on highway. Over-taking heavy vehicle will cause the Bezza to sway towards the heavy vehicle. It is just too light. Handling is a thumb down for Bezza.
Of course, not to mention the awkward Tonggek look of Bezza.
Although you read in this review, Bezza looks good on the specification. But in actual fact, below are Bezza clear weaknesses which are not reveal in this review.
1. Back seat is extremely vertical making your long journey very uncomfortable.
2. Plastic materials on the dash board are a lot hollow sound (thin) compared to Saga which sound more solid.
3. Steering wheel is in fixed position – cannot be tilted at all compared to Saga.
4. Bezza door panel – hollow sound.
5. Very light, makes poor handling, have floating effect when drive on highway, also beware of cross winds.
6. Poorly design tonggek looks at the back with reveal floorpan and suspension.
7. Seats are very narrow, in fact the car is narrow compared with Saga.
8. Expensive compared to Saga.
9. NVH poor compared to Saga – I think they have very few sound proofing material – to make the car lighter.

I’m not holding my breath on Najib’s “empty” election promise of car price reductions. With govt. budget deficit, the only way to reduce car prices which is through excise duty reduction will never happen.

Ministers in their ivory towers are totally detached from the public and have no sense of reality especially on the cost of living.

Furthermore, Proton which is now owned by DRB, a public listed co. is only answerable to shareholders. So no chance of them doing “charity” for the govt. as they are virtually on survival mode losing market share annually.

Change in the govt. is the only logical way car prices will never realistically reduce under BN regime with their massive corruption and wastages.

Proton has come out with a good product but can this save the company? History shows Proton has always had good products and cars. Cars were never the problem. What made Proton go into financial mess is mismanagement and crony parts suppliers who overcharge.

Unfortunately, even in 2016, all the crony vendors who supply parts are still the same as it was in 1990. No change at all. they are still the same fellows who overcharge Proton tenfold for every part and accessory. How can Proton fix their finances if the vendors are still the same? They overcharge so much and yet, their quality is so low.

Proton also needs to show some sincerity in changing since now this Saga seems to be a good seller. Have they cut cost? Have the directors and management cut cost and taken a pay cut?

In other countries, if a company is seeking bailout and have gotten money from the Government, the directors and management will volunteer a pay cut and sacrifice their bonusses and perks.

In Proton, the directors and management still enjoy luxuries. For example, drivers, club memberships, entertainment allowances, phone aloowances, Business Class travels, 5 star hotels and so on. Proton need to cut all these perks and go lean if they want to make this Saga a success.
No point have good seller but company still bleeding financially cause directors and management make to much of demans and don’t want to take a pay cut to show they are sincere in saving a sinking ship

I test drove Bezza and New Saga last week and found out the saga was more better than Bezza in term of everything except the fact that Bezza is more fuel efficient but in long term the saving on fuel is just unnoticeable.For example in my situation daily work use just about RM1 a day return from Sunway to Klang..but in return i get more comfortable & handling not to mention a different of 5k++ cheaper than Bezza.My vote goes to Saga Premium.If i want to buy any of these car,i prefer people behind me to say my butt is sexy than ugly back side.. But i’m waiting my persona arrival very soon coz the back is even more sexier,to me..

Huh, you complain about Bezza being 5k different with the fuel efficient yet you say you are waiting for persona which is 10k in terms of difference in pricing. I’m sure that is just unnoticeable as the fuel efficient in the long run.

RM36,800 is Affordable? I was hoping they would sell it less than RM30k for rakyat. Perodua could do it with their entry level Axia at RM24k. Let’s hope Proton create a car to cater such group for base spec cars.

I honestly think Proton have a problem with its positioning with that price range. It is no brainer to go for the top spec because it has got the Electronic Stability Control (ESC). But the Sage 1.3 CVT at RM45,800, isn’t it better to add RM4,000 get the Persona 1.6 CVT?

Persona
Brand new solid platform, High on safety
Better quality, not low cost like Saga
More comfort, Better refinement

I agree. Entry level Saga shud be priced lesser than any other cars in malaysia to show that government grant money or soft loan watever is going back to the people. Hoping that the national car does live to its status.
Anyway good job proton for the new saga.

Cars prices between 30k-50k are still acceptable and affordable for most malaYsians. Looking at the bright side, if the cars are too cheap, more people can afford cars which then lead to traffic congestion. IMO, each person should only owns 2 cars maximum. Car incentives should be given to Malaysians who are looking to own their 1st car, and a hefty amount of tax (doubled or tripled the car price) for their 3rd car. It’s not bad, it’s like having a maximum of 4 cars in one household ( husband and wife). Lesser cars, lesser traffic, lesser pollution.

Proton ergonomics are the worst…the steering always off center when you drive them..
yes the steering is centered to the seat, but the legrooms for the driver are always larger on the door side than the middle console side
..this will cause people to sit improperly and the steering will be off center…

If i remembered, Jean Alesi had mentioned this on the preve that he test drived..but it seems like proton interior designer didnt care much about what people complaining on their cars..

You know why proton are so stable when high speed at the corner? Because of the weight that leads to better grip..you know why bezza so shit at the corner? Because of the lightness + less width + high body + suspension setup that make the tyre are struggling to find the traction.. perodua = doesn’t know anything on how to make the center gravity of the car as low as possible

Meaning axia bad RV? Hahaha.Actually all cars with just 1-3 years ownership still can’t sell due to loan and depreciation.Who want to buy a 1 year car at the same price of new one? So don’t say your Toyota is good RV Same Lorrr.Logic

As an owner of the saga premium for two weeks, I can say that in general, I am pleased with the interior quality. They are all hard plastics as you would expect on a car at this price point. The gear knob actually feels nice and solid. The control buttons on the steering wheel also feels solid and not flimsy. My only gripe is they should have a leather covered steering wheel on the premium.

After all has been said(bash included) & done. This Saga will be in every nook & corners in M’sia just like a Myvi. The facts is the Saga & Myvi is THE cornerstone of P1/P2. Anyone disagree please state your reason.

Disagree.All Malaysian should drive a BMW 3 series as standard.Because of this P1 and P2 created by idiots we are forced to drive the lousiest cars in the world.If I’m wrong why people around the world not driving P1 or P2 if the cars is good? They not even heard of these car company in their whole life! And i still remember one idiot in putrajaya said our car as good as BMW? But why his whole family drive Porsche? BMW? Merc? P1 and P2 screwed up the whole nation! And screwed up our life terribly! We a forced to believe our country will be a high income nation in 2020,that’s less than 4 years from now but a high income nation drive a budget car? Really? All high income nations@developed countries around the world drove a big cars,high performance cars.Budget cars is just for their children go to high school.We are the only ‘high income nation wannabe’ which majority of it’s citizens not afford to choose a better ride for family.Poor public transportation yet we are forced to buy a car to work! Our country Malaysia is a joke!

Bcoz the tax in Malaysia is super high! Even we paid around 30% higher than USA for a Japanese brand.In USA an altis cost USD20,000 (RM81,000).That was after ringgit deprecated.It made us even worst! In Malaysia we have to pay RM115,000.To make a comparison our salary per capita at USD13,000 but USA almost USD52,000! They earn higher salary but paid little to buy a car! Yes they pay higher price for fuel but not that they travel 500km a day! Compare that!

Why not sell in many countries? After 30 years still can’t make it.U asked me why? Because P1 and P2 is below standard and unsafe in their country.That’s why P1 sold in Malaysia is low quality compare those sell in UK.Or not they are not allowed to enter their markets.Myvi was called garbage in TV auto show.Time to sell P1 to foreign makers and let they overhaul whole quality,management and financial issues.Start exporting.Only foreigners can make it happen.Like what they did to MAS.Locals only looking for pocket money not for business sustainability.

Ooo..that is why all people in London drive BMW is it? Pity us..even our neighbor down below and up above all drive BMW. Pity us because they did not have national car and all drive BMW. High income nations@developed countries not all about cars boy. Now go get your driving license.

Yes ali,keep driving your axia.A no ambition guy like u..no wonder this country is infected by laziness plague.Fyi neighbor down below is developed country sold more BMW and Merc than Bolehland.Many even drive Ferrari,Lamborghini to work! Country down below salary USD51,800 per capita.Where to hide face a little small land is better than big brother? Shame!

Based on pricing, yes its better value for money than the Bezza, but I would not want to be the 1st guinea pig (oops, sorry lah JAKIM for I have used the banned word). You see, we do not know the long term total cost of ownership of this Saga yet.

The things that will instantly make this already nice looking car better are 16 inch rims, the headlight as in iriz (projector), and suprima-like tail light (combination) of lines and LED`s. but overall it`s quite a progress proton has came out with. (should have make the wheelbase longer tho)

Dear Paultan
We would like to see a review on Bezza ‘balik kampung” trip, just like what you did for the Saga here.
Bezza launched so long ago, still no long distance drive review? You only did a track review. How to compare with Saga when no review on Bezza long distance drive?

This Saga design and practicality is way better than Bezza. This review says Saga has some problem adjusting to perfect seating position vs the steering wheel. I can tell you Bezza is a lot worst – the steering wheel cannot be adjusted at all, its at fixed position!! If you adjust the Bezza seat to the back to get more seating space, the steering wheel is too high, cannot be tilted. And Bezza back seat is almost at a right angle – you will be very uncomfortable going balik kampung trip. Bezza when overtaking big vehicle in the highway, you can feel it swing towards it, because is too light. Noise insulation is bad in the Bezza. I will definitely choose Saga over Bezza. Moreover Saga is cheaper too. And the Bezza now infamous back tonggek design pissed me off.

Now that I think about it, where is the test review of the bezza?it has been few months since the launch, and yet there is no official review event held by p2. I know that marketing wise, there is no need for them to hold such event, bcause people would still buy it without doing much research. Tells a lot about the mentality of the buyers doesn’t it? While for the proton cars, they are putting their trust on their product, line it all up for the media to scrutinize. Well, that is what I think. We got on one side the company who try to prove their mettle, and on the other side, a company who is enjoying the privilege of “brand buying”, maybe too much and too soon.

For a 94hp, proton engineer is not stupid..of course this saga will use close ratio gearbox..better acceleration and acceptable top speed..normally, a 1.3 litre car only can achieve their top speed at 160-175kmh..but, proton engineer already show us that the saga flx can achieve 190kmh, no mods at all..i found it youtube, just search ” tahap kelajuan saga flx”, now, imagine what this new saga can do? The ecu had been retuned for better performance..other than that, long ratio gearbox just make a car have bad acceleration but better top speed..for city driving, a close ratio is more better since it provide good response..vios trd 500hp sticker ahbeng, avanza garbage and many more use close ratio gearbox..long ratio gearbox are suitable in a car that have high torque, turbo engine or diesel…long ratio gearbox just make the car have lack of power at low rpm, thats why a car with high torque are more suitable..so, to have close ratio in this saga is a right decision

Yes , i want to improve my english, atleast im trying and practicing the language to become better…every people need practice you know..please forgive me :) so, when our class start? I want you to become my lecturer

Seems like it, but only comments on Paul Tan’s blog,
the actual sales figures says otherwise, so all praises for P1 at this site must be seen will a bit of salt.
In order to find out for yourself, the only reliable way is to find out from your friends or relatives who owned such cars for at least a period of 6 months to a year.

proton is continuosly shooting their own feet
everytime they come out with new model, it is cheaper and the quality improved over theier exp model
iriz made with better quality material than preve. now saga use better gearbox than iriz
so everytime he come out cheaper model he kill his own big model.
dunno to run a car company. mercedes make small model and sell first then the most exp model get the best stuff!

Gerard, how much proton paid you? Why there is no “actual” FC figure while doing “actual” test drive? Too shameful to tell? If you see this you better amend the post , if not you are proton paid writer obviously.

You need to understand the way media drives are done. The cars are driven in a tight convoy, usually at higher than normal speeds. And our writers will need to test out the performance and behavior of the vehicle in all conditions, to be done within tight time constraints. The route and driving pattern are definitely not representative of real world usage, so we do not have a fuel economy figure. Best we can do is to mention the claimed figures, all clearly labeled as claimed numbers, at their respective test modes.

Normally it would be higher than publish. But due to courtesy they, the writers will state the FC of the manufacturer specs. Even our own car it is somethimes hard to achieve that reading But some cars are achievable.

saw the saga on the road. the roof is really very tall making the car look out of proportion. and the side profile look of the front is also not so nice. all of a sudden the previous saga FL looks good. the 1.6 red one with the grey body kit.

I beg to differ. Saw one persona parked at space u8 shah alam, at a first glance i thought it was a Jetta from behind. Funny that i took a second round just to convince my colleague that is a persona. We both approved that it is a handsome car.

Then,i recommend you to just buy the secondhand flx , because the first owner of flx are in love and already booking this new saga..dont bising2 here, it only make all people think that you have a blind eye …make your choice , proton tak paksa pun kw beli saga ni

Was considering getting axia fory daughter. Was considering a bigger car a bezza or saga. Don’t like bezza look, prefer axia look more nice looking. As for Saga still scratching my head, been using a few proton before nothing to shout about nor anything to despise at. It still works but with a lot of parts falling off…Unlike Nissan or Toyota…Looks and feel the same after 10 years. Only realise my tummy grow bigger and ankle is not that flexible as before.I did not like the new Saga rear but with it’s drippy eyes. If they were to design like the mainstream design with a bigger but, I trust that the NCAP rating shall be a 5 and loading boot capacity should be more than 500 litres. It should be more practical for balik kampung.Front, Mid and Inside looks acceptable to me.

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